Comments on: They hate our freedoms

By: james higham

james higham — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 11:01:20 +0000

They can pull the plug at any moment – the google shitdown last evening illustrated that. We have freedom at this moment. Very soon we won’t.

By: Jim Bliss

Jim Bliss — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 01:21:08 +0000

There’s two separate issues when it comes to “internet libel”, Will (as I understand it, and not being a lawyer myself).

Firstly there’s the issue of the person making the statement; and he or she can be sued under UK law no matter where the site is hosted (as the material has been published in the UK, by virtue of someone in the UK reading it).

Secondly, however, there’s the issue of suing the webhost / ISP that hosts the site on its servers (and by extention legally forcing them to remove the offending content). Demon internet were famously sued and found culpable for something that appeared on one of their web-forums.

However, suing a foreign ISP (particularly in a country where no test case has established their liability in such cases) would be next to impossible and would probably be extremely expensive with little chance of success. I’ve been told that Brazil and South Korea both have a thriving internet sector with plenty of companies offering low-cost hosting space.

So if you wanted to libel someone, then finding a Brazillian webhost might be the way to go. You could still be sued, fined, even jailed… but there would be no legal obligation on the site hosts to take down the libellous statement(s). I guess it depends on just how badly you want to say nasty things about someone.

By: Will

Will — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 19:55:00 +0000

My understanding of libel law is that anywhere the blog is read is considered a place of publication and the law of that place can be used. So, for example, if someone American on an American-hosted blog made defamatory remarks about Angela Merkel (say) that were seen by readers in London, she could sue for libel in England.

As always, given that I’m not even an amateur lawyer, I stand to be corrected…

By: Abdul-Rahim

Abdul-Rahim — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:51:19 +0000

Hey that’s where I live. Will be interesting to see if the local press pics it up

By: Tom Barry

Tom Barry — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:48:47 +0000

Talking of fatherly love, if my son went out and started behaving like Hilary Benn, I’d drag him back inside, tell him I didn’t like the crowd he was hanging around with these days and give him a clip round the earhole, regardless of age and legislation. Tough love, put him back on the straight and narrow. How about it, Tony?

Isn’t Gingrich rather yesterday’s man? Where’s the *real* best place to run a website from without meddling proto-Nazis getting involved? Iceland? Germany? North Korea? Sealand? Orbiting Yoghurt HQ?

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:17:59 +0000

I think a debate between Henry Jones Snr and Hilary Benn would be a thing to see:

Hilary: We are here in Addish Ababa to try to find a sholution to the crishish in Darfur which clearly cannot be allowed to continue.

Henry: My shon, we’re pilgrimsh in an unholy land.

Hilary: With more money we can shave more lives.

Henry: Oh, yeah? And who’sh gonna come to shave you, JUNIOR?

By: Flying Rodent

Flying Rodent — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:02:09 +0000

In years to come I believe we will look back and recognise Henry Jones Sr. as one of the foremost thinkers of the 20th Century.

I wouldn’t bother emailing the PM to tell him this – you’d be as well mailing it to the Marx brothers.